Aboriginal Rangers

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:05): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney-General inform the council about the government's plan to employ 15 new Aboriginal rangers to protect our parks and wildlife?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for his excellent question and his interest in this area. I am very pleased to inform the chamber about the plan to employ 15 new Aboriginal rangers to protect our parks and wildlife. Our state is home to some of the most incredibly stunning natural parks and wildlife in the world. You can travel in any direction in this state and see magnificent sites of the natural environment that are uniquely South Australian.

We have a very proud history in South Australia of protecting our environment in parks and on private property, all of which is Aboriginal land. That is why I was excited on the weekend just gone to join Dr Susan Close, the member for Port Adelaide, Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, to confirm that the South Australian government will employ 15 new Aboriginal rangers, on top of all rangers already employed, to protect our parks and wildlife as part of a $5 million state initiative which is aimed at increasing Aboriginal management of our natural environment.

This comes as a key part of our election commitment to maintaining, promoting and sustaining traditional cultural sites and practices within parks. We are putting the traditional owners at the forefront of our parks network to ensure their stories are an integral part of visitor experiences. Some of the other initiatives that the government plans to introduce are better protecting Aboriginal heritage and cultural sites and ensuring Aboriginal people have a voice in the future of the Murray River.

Many Aboriginal people can trace their heritage back thousands of generations to a particular area of our country. When we see farming families can trace four or five or six generations back to a particular part of the country, they are quite rightly proud of their connection to that part of the land. To have a connection that dates back thousands of generations and tens of thousands of years is quite a remarkable thing. It is that experience and that link, the knowledge and the caring for country, that this seeks to build upon.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger workforce of 139 currently includes 21 First Nations people. The extra 15 will bring the total to 36 First Nations people. The Australian government offers other funding opportunities as well to employ First Nations people through the Indigenous ranger program. The Indigenous rangers right now are most typically associated with co-managed parks such as the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park and Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park.

As I have said, the history and the knowledge many Aboriginal people bring with tens of thousands of years connection to country brings a unique understanding of the natural environment. Giving Aboriginal people a greater say on our natural environment in national parks is not only the right thing to do but will also enrich the enjoyment of parks for everyone.